Chain Reactions
by Thebestbunny75
Summary: Varian needs all the help he can get after being taken as Corona's prisoner. Staggering between rage and regret, who knew that forming alliances and gaining trust could be so difficult? A take on what happened to Varian during the show's second season.
1. Chapter One

**⇄Chapter One⇄**

Varian was _furious_.

Currently, he scowled ahead while two guards (_Stan and Pete, was it?_) on either side of him gripped his arms a little too hard, forcing him to walk down a dim, cell-filled hallway of Corona's prison. Behind him, Varian was certain Ruddiger followed close if the little pitter-patter of his paws against the stone floor had anything to tell him.

As they continued to pass the cells, jeering rough voices called out, inquiring how a scrawny boy like himself could've ended up in the toughest clink for the kingdom's most dangerous criminals. Varian clenched his shackled fists.

Earlier, when the guards removed his goggles, apron, and gloves, replacing them with the chains they so thought he deserved, the alchemist knew better than to lash out in a futile attempt to escape; the guards would no doubt overpower him, and he had no desire to make a fool of himself by scrambling about with no forethought of an actual escape.

After all, he would need a plan, and the place he was going would give him _plenty_ of time to think and reflect_. _At that thought, Varian shut his scowling blue eyes, letting the guards firmly guide him as anger continued to swell within his heart with every passing second.

There was no doubt that _she_ would have to pay dearly for everything. They all would.

After a moment, he was halted, and the 14 year old opened his eyes to see that he now stood in front of a dark, barred cell at the end of the long hallway they'd been walking down. The jingling of keys met his ears as one of the guards came forward and unlocked the cell's door before swinging it open with an eerie creak. Varian was promptly shoved into the dim space.

Only a second after regaining his footing, he watched as Ruddiger raced into the cell after him just in time before the door closed with a loud clang.

Varian then felt the racoon briefly brush against his left leg before disappearing somewhere into the darkness behind him. He sneered defiantly at the two silhouetted guards as they proceeded to lock the cell door. And after a moment, one of the guards spoke.

"All of your crimes will be determined by the Court by the end of tomorrow. If you plead innocent, you will be given a trial."

"In the meantime, we suggest you get _comfortable_."

The young alchemist rolled his eyes and quietly scoffed as the two guards turned and began walking away, leaving him and Ruddiger alone in the dark room that would be their home for only a little while; after all, Varian didn't intend on rotting away in some cruddy cell forever. That is…if his actual sentence required that and not breaking his neck.

It took Varian a long, foreboding second to realize that his cuffed hands had found his neck on their own. He gulped with wide clouded eyes, his breath hitching as a wave of sudden nervousness washed over him, quickly replacing his bitter anger.

_Surely, they wouldn't_…

Of course, he'd accepted that it was a possibility the very moment he decided to kidnap the Queen, but now, in the shadow of authority, the possibility of being _executed_ suddenly became _very_ real to him. The boy shook his head, clearing his mind and calming him as he began to pace in the cell, his chains clinking.

_No_, they _wouldn't_ execute him if his young age had anything to say about it. _But then again…_Varian deflated slightly as he realized that his age seemed to be the _only_ leverage he had in the situation. Even so, they weren't going to give him a fair trial to defend himself in court anyway since the evidence against him was probably overwhelming. He would plead innocent nonetheless.

_All in all_, even if they did execute him, he would be humble enough to admit that he deserved it. After all, among a lot of other things, he _did_ directly and personally endanger the Royal Family, which is in and of itself high treason against the entire Kingdom of Corona. Varian's brow then furrowed, his chained fists tightening again in anger.

Likewise, for what _they_ did to him, he would acknowledge that _they_ equally deserved what he did to them. If _they_ hadn't ignored the black rocks, his Village wouldn't be in ruins! If _they_ hadn't turned their backs on him, his Dad would be okay!

In an instant, Varian grimaced at the thought of his father, his downcast eyes clouding over with what resembled sorrow, all other thoughts of his animosity forgotten. This bout was soon interrupted when something unexpectedly rubbed against his leg. It was Ruddiger, his loyal pet racoon and _only _friend, trying to comfort him. Varian gave a dismal smile.

The boy's eyes then followed Ruddiger to the cot that he'd just noticed in the left corner of the dark room as the racoon circled once then twice before peacefully laying down on the piece of furniture. Sighing, the young alchemist tiredly trudged over to the cot and sat on it, his bound hands resting in his lap, only to find that it unsurprisingly wasn't as comfy as Ruddiger made it out to be. Varian shrugged; it couldn't have been worse than his desk, which he'd accidentally dozed off on for the past few weeks while trying to formulate new solutions and plans to free his father.

Again, he looked to the racoon who now appeared to be asleep, and he smiled with weary eyes. Frankly, Varian was surprised that the guards even let him keep Ruddiger. Maybe they didn't want to deal with them anymore than they had to? Nonetheless, whatever the reason behind them not taking his only friend away was, he was grateful.

As the rising sun peeked through the small, barred window above the cot, the cell, albeit still rather dim, became more visible which allowed Varian to assess his surroundings more easily. It must have been at least 8 by 10 feet, which was quite roomy compared to the other cells he'd passed by earlier. Like the rest of the prison, it was all made from sturdy stone, except for the iron bars, of course. Varian quirked a brow as he noticed that his cell seemed to be more isolated than the others; instead of having cells crammed beside his, there was a lot of stone in between.

He shrugged, it's not like he could blame them. _After all_, he was now officially the most dangerous "criminal" in all of Corona, he couldn't even be trusted with being in a certain range of other prisoners. Besides, isolation would definitely keep his mind clear of any future misdeeds…_or so they thought._

As if on cue, a patrol guard walked past his cell before rounding the corner, out of sight. Varian huffed as the guard's footsteps echoed through the silent dungeon. He acknowledged that authority figures used to not irk him so, but now a simple guard was enough to make his blood boil. Overall, he _hated _the guards, he _hated _the Kingdom of Corona, and he _hated _the princess _and_ her friends. They _never_ cared about him.

Shaking the menacing thoughts off, the young alchemist shifted his gaze down to the manacles around his sore wrists resting in his lap. There was no telling how long they would remain on him, and they were already chafing his wrists to the point where he didn't want to move anymore for fear of them breaking the skin. Not to mention, he wasn't wearing his gloves, which was in and of itself uncomfortable enough. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, but he had worn gloves for as long as he could remember and to have them not on his hands for more than a few hours felt…_weird. _

He sighed, closing his brooding eyes before fully laying down on the cot, minding where Ruddiger was fast asleep, and shifting to get as comfortable as one can be on an uncomfortable piece of furniture. A sudden jolt of worry began to build in his stomach on account of how he would free his father from a cell, but Varian pushed it to the back of his mind. He would plan a way out soon anyways._ He had to. _

_For his dad._

In the end of it all, his heart was too heavy with the stabbingly-familiar pain of failure. He wouldn't sleep, not for a while, anyway.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Thank you all for reading! I wrote this a long time ago and this was originally going to be a one-shot, but I think there will be a few more chapters! Anyways, let me know what you think! Until next time, bye!**


	2. Chapter Two

**⇄Chapter Two⇄**

Varian woke with a start, the late afternoon sun peeking through the window of his cell.

He must've slept through most of the day. Not surprisingly, his shackled wrists were so sore and red that he debated if he really wanted to get out of the disagreeable bed. But after a few moments, he heaved himself up, groaning softly as grogginess continued to envelop his senses.

Yawning, his gaze fell on the two guards standing in front of his cell. They didn't do that earlier when he was first thrown in prison so why now? Varian mulled over the subject for a second but shrugged. _Whatever._

He quickly became aware that his raccoon wasn't in the cell.

"_Ruddiger?"_ Varian worriedly called out in a hushed tone.

A chittering sound came from his right. _Ruddiger! _The raccoon was sitting outside on the grass that was level to the small barred window, looking casually over at Varian. He must've squeezed through the bars.

The young alchemist suddenly had an idea.

With his feet sore and his legs weak, Varian fervently moved towards the window to Ruddiger. On his tiptoes, he whispered to his loyal pet.

"Ruddiger, you clever raccoon! You can be my access to the outside world! Could you do me a favor, buddy?"

The raccoon's ears perked, and he nodded. Varian continued, his voice almost inaudible.

"Please go to my lab and grab some of my trapping chemical compound, y'know the purple goo? There should be some test tubes of it—"

"Quiet, prisoner!"

Varian tensed at the firm voice, turning his gaze to the front of his cell where the almost-oblivious guards stood facing away from him. He hurriedly finished, "_And be careful!"_

Ruddiger gave a salute to the boy before skittering off out of sight. Varian stood there looking out before sighing and sitting back onto his small, uncomfortable cot.

At that moment, Varian became very aware of how empty he felt. He should've asked Ruddiger to bring back an apple or two since he couldn't remember the last time he had a full meal, only having snacks here and there. Most of the time he would forget to eat while being fully immersed in his experiments or planning. The guards would probably give him something in a few hours. Briefly, his mind pondered to what foods they served in prison. Whatever they served, he was almost hungry enough to eat anything.

Shaking his head, he _needed_ to focus on making a plan, not food that would be given to him in a few hours.

First things first, the guards. He needed to figure out their schedule; how long they stayed put in front of his cell, when they took breaks, when they patrolled, everything.

The basis of a plan quickly began to form, but with so many factors, he needed to write it down. Varian looked around his cell. There had to be a few rocks with which he could write on the walls or floor with. His eyes skimmed the old stone floor until he saw some rubble near one of the corners next to the bars.

Varian stood and traipsed towards the small pile of rocks. He grabbed one, but not without gaining some suspicious sidelong glances from the two guards.

He could feel their gazes burning into the back of his head as he turned. It made him feel uneasy for a moment, but he brushed it off as he sat back on his cot, testing out the rocks on the near wall.

As he expected, they produced faint white marks. He was about to mark on the wall again when one of the guards cleared his throat suggestively. The 14 year old tensed as he glanced back with slight worry.

The guard, Stan, waggled his finger at the young alchemist while the other, Pete, produced a scowl directed at him.

Varian held a glare at the guards while he slid away from the wall, still gripping the rock. They both promptly turned around not before Stan gave the '_I'm watching you'_ hand gesture.

He huffed. Maybe planning would be a bit harder than he thought. Oh well, so what if he couldn't write on the walls? He had his mind, after all. Even so, he could probably still write on the walls when the guards weren't around.

The rock was warm and sweaty in his palm now. He placed it under his pillow as he sat down, his cuffs brushing against the cot itself, making him wince.

He held his knees close to himself, his stomach void, making him weak. He scowled ahead, thinking and waiting, thinking and waiting.

* * *

The Captain of the guard marched through the prison carrying a scroll. Originally, Nigel was supposed to deliver the charges, but the Captain gladly took it upon himself. He wore a serious face as he neared a certain criminal's guarded abode.

Hearing heavy, calculated footsteps growing closer and closer, Varian opened his eyes to see Stan and Pete suddenly salute to someone walking towards his cell. He stood from his cot to get a better look and his heart dropped—it was the Captain of the guard.

_Cassandra's father._

Varian was positive he looked petrified as the Captain approached, his wide eyes locking with the Captain's stern death glare.

Thankfully, the Captain stopped before the bars of the cell, towering at least a foot taller than the 14 year old. The last thing Varian wanted was to be anywhere near the father of someone he could've potentially crushed to death.

Unraveling the rather long scroll in his gloved hands, the Captain cleared his throat, all the while staring down the prisoner in front of him.

"Varian of Old Corona, as determined by Corona's Royal Court, you are hereby charged with attacking Corona's Princess, stealing the Sundrop Flower, endangering Corona's citizens, kidnapping Corona's Queen, four counts of attempted murder, one count of murder, and high treason. How do you plead?"

Varian took a shaky, foreboding breath.

"_Innocent._"

The Captain's eyes narrowed like pinpoints. Varian gulped.

"_Unlock the door,"_ he sternly commanded Pete, who had promptly unpocketed the prison keys, as he handed Stan the scroll of Varian's judgment. Both guards briefly shared a look of concern—whether it was for him, Varian didn't know. Either way, he felt suddenly claustrophobic with nowhere to run. His heart thudded against his ribs as the key turned and the door swung open. His breathing hitched, and for the first time since being imprisoned, Varian genuinely feared for what would happen to him.

He took tentative steps back as the Captain proceeded forward into the cell, farther and farther until his back thudded against the back wall. He gaped fearfully upwards as the authoritative man towered over him.

Before Varian could react, he was forcefully yanked off the ground by the collar of his shirt, jolting his senses as anxiety gripped him. The Captain promptly slammed him against the wall, sending him sputtering as the air was knocked out of his heaving lungs.

"Listen to me closely, _scum."_

Varian clamped his eyes shut, gripping the Captain's wrists, trying to lessen the hold. At this, the Captain scowled further and shook the young alchemist, his voice growing thunderous.

"ARE YOU LISTENING?"

Frantically, Varian nodded.

"_Good. _You can play the innocent game all you want, but we all know what happened. And I'm going to _break_ you for what you have done, especially for almost killing my daughter."

With ease, the Captain dragged him up the wall a little higher, the 14 year old's feet hanging fully off the ground as he struggled.

"And understand this. You aren't going anywhere."

Without hesitation, the Captain nonchalantly dropped Varian onto the floor. His knees quickly gave out and he caught himself with his bound hands. In shock, Varian watched helplessly from the floor as the Captain walked out of his cell.

"He can have all the water he wants for all I care, but no food for three days."

_Three days!? _

The boy felt like he could pass out, his stomach in knots. Looking down, his eyes began to cloud over with tears.

_He was shaking._

* * *

**A/N:**

**Please leave a review to tell me what you think! Cassandra and Rapunzel are likely to appear in the next chapter so stay tuned! Anyways, thanks for reading!**


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